UCF Budget Cuts Proposed at 35% – The 2nd Worst, After USF

The University of South Florida isn’t the only state university facing a severe budget slashing from Tallahassee. KnightNews.com has learned the University of Central Florida is also in the Florida Senate’s crosshairs for a major cut.

That’s according to a USF analysis of the budget cut, the Tampa Bay Times reports. The analysis shows UCF is the target of the second-deepest cuts in the State University System — a whopping 35 percent, or reduction of $76.9 million. See the chart of the USF analysis published in the Times below:

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Right now, the proposal is just that — and nothing is set in stone. However, it’s not clear if that is good or bad for UCF’s budget. USF has been blasting the Senate’s proposed budget, and it seems to be making some headway with Sen. J.D. Alexander, who proposed the budget. USF says the nearly 60 percent slashing slated for the Bulls is unfair, when compared to other institutions.

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“Well, we can talk about that,” Alexander told the Times. “If we need to adjust by a few million dollars to get it fairer, then we can reallocate to the other institutions.”

Whether that means it would be UCF — or another state institution — to take on more of the cuts to ease off USF’s is unclear. One issue that is becoming a reason lawmakers say universities need cuts is the amount of reserves available. That’s a reason why lawmakers told the Times USF was targeted for more cuts than others.

However, the Times reports UCF actually has more reserves on hand than USF. UCF has $126 million in reserves, compared to USF’s $112 million and FSU’s $135 million, the paper reported, based on Board of Governors documents.

KnightNews.com will continue to monitor the Florida’s higher education budget crisis, and let you know if UCF is targeted for any deeper cuts.